4/9/2024–|Last update: 4/9/202402:07 AM (Makkah Time)
Israeli sources revealed the expected date for submitting a new proposal for a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, which Washington said it is currently working on, while the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) confirmed that what is required is not a new proposal, but rather obligating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to what the resistance agreed to.
Israel Hayom newspaper quoted Israeli officials as saying that estimates indicate that the final American proposal regarding a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal in Gaza will be presented to the concerned parties at the end of next week.
In contrast, Hamas leader Osama Hamdan said in an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune that the resistance had not received any new proposal for the deal, and that it was only dealing with what it received from mediators.
He added that what is required is not a new proposal, but rather obligating Netanyahu to what the resistance agreed to.
Hamdan also stressed that the return of the occupation prisoners will happen if the war in the Gaza Strip stops and a complete withdrawal from it occurs, adding that the continuation of the occupation operations in the Strip leads to the killing of Israeli prisoners instead of their return.
Features of the American proposal
The White House said Tuesday that the United States still believes a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is possible, stressing that President Joe Biden is personally involved in the matter. The White House added that the Biden administration has heard a lot from Israel and continues to consult with Egyptian and Qatari mediators to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, with no timeframe for achieving this, and is working on a proposal to secure the release of the remaining detainees, provide aid to Gaza, and stop the fighting in the Strip.
The White House stressed that there is an urgent need to reach an exchange agreement, and what happened at the end of the week in Gaza confirms the importance of expediting this, in reference to the Israeli army recovering the bodies of 6 detainees after they were found inside a tunnel in the Gaza Strip.
He pointed out that the proposal stipulates the removal of Israeli forces in the Philadelphi Corridor to the east, and this is a basic element that has not changed. The agreement also stipulates that Israel withdraw its forces from crowded areas in the first phase, including around the Philadelphi Corridor.
“The gaps are narrow enough to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and we believe we are close to it,” the White House said.
For his part, White House National Security Council Communications Officer John Kirby said that President Biden will continue to focus on reaching a ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible.
The US State Department said that progress had been made in dealing with the obstacles, but that completing the agreement would require both sides to show flexibility, noting that it would communicate with partners in the region to push towards reaching a final agreement.
The ministry added that the United States held constructive talks last week in the region to try to reach an agreement on the final gaps, stressing that “the time has come to complete the agreement, which requires both parties, Israel and Hamas, to be flexible.”
There are still dozens of detainees in Gaza waiting for an agreement to return them home, and it is time to make that agreement, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
The main obstacle to the agreement
In this context, the Washington Post quoted 9 current and former officials from mediating countries as saying that Netanyahu’s adherence to the Philadelphi axis represents the main obstacle to the agreement at present.
These officials said that the formation of a US-trained Palestinian force is the most likely arrangement to secure the border, and that the European Union is prepared to resume its monitoring role at the Rafah crossing in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority.
For its part, the American CNN network quoted an American official as saying that Biden called on the Israeli government to expedite securing the release of the remaining prisoners, and he was clear in holding Hamas responsible for killing the American detainee.
A source described by the network as prominent said that President Biden’s statements about Netanyahu are dangerous “because they come days after Hamas executed 6 detainees, including an American.”
The same source commented on Netanyahu’s speech, saying, “This man blew everything up in one speech,” but sources told the network that Biden’s proposal, which he presented last May, included keeping Israeli forces away from residential areas, without referring to the Philadelphi corridor.
The network added – quoting sources familiar with the deal negotiations – that Netanyahu’s recent insistence on remaining in the Philadelphi axis represents a change in position.
This comes at a time when Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted military sources as saying that without reaching a deal, any large-scale ground operation in Gaza would endanger the lives of prisoners.
